Review of Shadow Storm

Post by **Kutloano Makhuvhela** » 21 Apr 2025, 18:49

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shadow Storm" by Jennifer Aitken.]

4 out of 5 stars

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The book opens with a stranger who is hearing voices that he cannot understand. He is scared. Everything does not make sense. He just wants everything to stop and maybe make sense of everything. Multiple cars stop in front of him, and one man gets out of one and calls this stranger Lucius. Not only that, but he refers to Lucius as his brother. Things start making sense to Lucius. Lucius sees that he shares similar features with this man. Lucius, not knowing how, calls the other man Dax and tells him he doesn’t have whatever he thinks he, Lucius, has.

During their heated exchange, it is revealed that Dax is working with or for a secret organisation called Kai-Tangata. Lucius is afraid that they want to run experiments on him. Long story short, Dax captures him and locks him up in a secretive place. There, Lucius is put under intense torture. Lucius is told about dimensional beings. Terrence works for Dax and is put under pressure to extract information from Lucius A.S.A.P. But it later turns out that there is more to Terrence because he helps Lucius to escape. It isn’t an easy escape because Lucius is quickly apprehended, but something fantastic happens. He feels like he is split into two; the other body of him is inside the prison, and the other body of him is outside, free with Terrence. But how? Who is Maru? Why is the Kai-Tangata after Lucius? What is Atlantis? Is there more to Lucius than what meets the eye? What does it mean to be a dimensional being?

Read this fantasy science fiction novel by Jennifer Aitken called Shadow Storm to find more. It packed many different elements and made them into one product. As I have said above, it is a mixture of fantasy and science fiction, in that there is magic here and there, and there are concepts that are consistent with science fiction, like dimensional travelling. Both of them are added together to give this story that is good to read. These elements did not clash at all. Instead, they complemented each other, adding up where the other might have failed. This made the story different and so worthy to be read. I liked that.

I also liked that the characters were brought to life by their ambitions. I was more fascinated by the characters of Lucius and Dax than others. They were brothers, but they were so different from each other, even fighting on opposite sides. This made the plot uncertain because I was not sure what would happen if they were to meet together in a stand-off. Would one kill the other? Were they both capable of that? The character of Maru reminded me of Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Maru was well-versed in certain aspects and knew where to go and what to do and guided the group as they went along. But she also had her own secrets that sometimes put their journey at risk. It made me mad that she wanted Lucius to figure things out by himself sometimes instead of outright telling him what to do to save time. But I understood why as I read on.

The writing was convincing and flowing. The experience was a good one. I could say the dialogue and narration were level with each other. I didn’t feel like everything was told to me. I was involved in the action. The fighting sequences were brief but were well portrayed. What I disliked was the world-building. It did not feel complete in that some other things felt out of place or outright confusing. I could not immerse myself in this world the author had crafted because it didn’t feel real to me. There were many moving parts about it. The time period was also not executed well. Sometimes it felt like modern fantasy, but somehow, it all became too fuzzy for my liking. There were errors, especially in regard to repetition of certain words. My reading was slightly spoiled by this because I had to reread a couple of times to understand better.

With all I have said, I rate this book four out of five stars. I would recommend it to people who love fantasy mixed with science fiction. Those who love characters on their road to discovery, who go through treacherous journeys to defeat evil, will surely enjoy this one. The follow-up book is coming soon since this one ended with a couple of questions that can be off-putting to other readers. It would be suitable for readers in their late teens to young adults because of the strong language it contains.

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Shadow Storm
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Esther Kavithe · Post by **Esther Kavithe** » 23 Apr 2025, 07:18

Is this a dream or reality of someone's life? More of a dream I guess.Betrayal and hatred is evident between the brothers Lucias and Dax. They are so different from each other in terms of character, even fight at opposite sides. They totally don't understand one another.

Gerry Steen · Post by **Gerry Steen** » 26 Apr 2025, 09:50

Thank you for your thorough review. I am intrigued by the concept of a dimensional being. The mystery and suspense in this science fiction story will keep me engaged. I want to know how Dax and Lucius resolve their brotherly feud.

Benita Ogarekpe · Post by **Benita Ogarekpe** » 27 Apr 2025, 05:48

At first your review seemed like a spoiler, but I realize now that there’s still so much depth to the book that I can only understand by reading it myself.

Post by **Seetha E** » 27 Apr 2025, 08:08

An in-depth review. I agree with Benita. The re-reading parts are something that no one likes. The plot is interesting, going by the review. I would sample a few pages before picking it up.

Elavarasi Charles · Post by **Elavarasi Charles** » 27 Apr 2025, 09:20

Your opening of the review instantly pulls in. A blend of sci-fi with fantasy which is escalated by a brotherly feud. The ever-fresh 'save the world from evil' trope but with a multi-dimensional twist to it. It sure feels grand in scale and epic. Thank you for a great review.

Post by **Priya Murugesan** » 27 Apr 2025, 09:47

I am eager to read more about Lucius and Dax. But I am not impressed by poor world building. Thanks for your detailed review!

Post by **sayjil gordhan** » 05 May 2025, 06:42

I really loved the detailed review! I do believe that poor world building would spoil the good plot for me too. However, I love the genre and the premise of the book. Sounds like the book started of strong and the author is skilled to captivate which makes up what the book lacks.